Ribbon burner



w. B,. ENSIGN Aug. 6,1940.

RIBBON BURNER Filed Sept. 20. 1938 2 she tssheet 1 WITNESSES I VINVENII'OR Wilhelm B.E7Z5Lg/1/ BY M V ATTORNEYS I g- 6, 1940- w. B. ENSIGN 0,0 9

RIBBON BURNER Filed Sept. 20, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 aigS WITNESSES INVEN'II'OR 0y wizzmm nEnsL n .W BY

. ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 6, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 13 Claims.

This invention relates to gas burners and particularly to an improved ribbon burner, an object being to provide a construction wherein the gas is readily distributed over the burner surface whereby an even flame is secured for the full width and length of the burner;

Another object of the invention is to provide a burner of the ribbon type wherein small openings are presented and arranged so that the outer rows will be larger than the inner rows.

A further object, more specifically, is to provide a burner of the ribbon type wherein the pipe or casing is formed with a slot anddividing members or ribbons arranged therein with interlocking parts for holding all members in alignment, each member-having offset portions which present openings through which the gas may flow.

An additional object is to provide an improved burner which includes a tubular member slotted from one end to the other and provided with end caps or tubular members and with a fitting in the slot formed of a plurality of ribbons presentlng small gas passageways, the various ribbons being held in place by suitable pins'extending through the ribbons and the slotted tubular member.

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view 30 through a burner disclosing an embodiment of the invention, certain parts being broken away in order that the showing may be on a larger scale; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of part of a slotted tube embodying certain features of the invention;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through Fig. 1 on line 3-3;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view showing part of the burner illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of one of the ribbon elements shown in Figs. 1 and 3;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a modified form of burner strip assemblage to that illustrated in Fig. 4;

Fig. 'l is a view s' 'lar to Fig. 4 but showing a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view through Fig. '7 approximately on the line 88;

Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional view through Fig. 7 approximately on the line 99;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 but showing a modified form of the ribbon-retaining structure;

- Fig. 11 is a perspective viewoi' the retaining pins shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but showing a further modified form of the invention;

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but showing a modified form of 'the'invention;

Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the invention applied to a round burner.

Referring to the accompanying drawings by numerals, l indicates a casing or piping forming a burner housing, the same being provided with a closed end 2 and an air and gas mixer 3. The air andgas mixer 3 may be of any desired kind so that gas may flow from pipe 4 to a suitable nozzle 5 into passageway 6 and draw air in through opening I. An adjustable disk 8 is provided and acts as a valve member for varying the proportion of air-and gas drawn and discharged into the passageway 6. As far as the present invention is concerned, this structure is old and well known, but provides a desirable air and gas mixer for supplying the proper combustible mixture to the casing I so that said mixture'may be distributed by the ribbon elements 9. These ribbons 9 areconstructed more particularly as shown in Figs. 3 to.5 inclusive. As illustrated particularly in Fig. 2, a slot [0 is provided in the casing I, said slot being of the samewidth throughout and adapted to receive any desired number of the-ribbon elements. In the accompanying drawings four ribbon elements have been shown, but it will be evident that a less number or a greater number may be provided and that the burner may be of any desired length without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Occasionally it may be desired to form a round or square opening and fill the same with the ribbon elements shown .in the accompanying drawings, but ordinarily the slot or opening Ill is long in comparison with its width and is provided with comparatively few ribbon elements. As shown in Fig. 5, the ribbon element 9 is provided with a row of elongated holes II. When assembling the various ribbon elements, several are placed in each slot and held therein by suitable pins i2 welded or otherwise secured to casing I. It will be noted that the various ribbon elements 9 are of some appreciable width and are bent back and. forth to present a serpentine shape or an undulated appearance whereby oppositely extending looped sections l3 and 4| are presented in each ribbon. When the ribbons are assembled as shown in Fig. 4 the looped sections of one ribbon will fit partly into 'the looped sections of the other ribbon, except the outer ribbons.

As shown particularly in Fig. 4, the loops I3 of the outer ribbon on one side of the slot bear against the wall I 0 of casing I, while the loops I l of the outer ribbon on the other side bear against the wall II, thus forming openings I5 and it which are. slightly larger than the other openings provided between the respective ribbons. In this way somewhat larger flames are provided along the respective walls III and I II. The openings I5 and I6 are adapted to allow large volumes of gas to pass while the openings or ports centrally of the burner are smaller and allow less volumes of gas to pass. The smalleror inner ports ofier resistance to the flow of gas and when the burner is forced by a high pressure of gas, the flame is kept from blowing away from the outside large ports I5 and It by the flame from the smaller or inner ports which acts as a pilot. Also the smaller inner ports by setting up a resistance to the passage of gas will balance the flame for the entire length of the burner up to a fixed amount. This construction will permit the balanced buming of two or three times the amountof gas that is permitted in the same size burner where the ports are small or all the same size. It will also be noted that each of the ribbons 9 is provided with elongated apertures or openings II for accommodating pins I2. Any'desired number of these pins I2 may be used, but preferably several are provided along the length of the burner. These openings or apertures are elongated in order that they may properly accommodate the respective pins I2 without being made extremely accurate and also so that they may take care of the desired expansion of the parts.

When making the casing I of the burner the same may be formed by curling a piece of flat metal or otherwise, but preferably by taking a tube and cutting a slot for the full length thereof. Also the cut tube is preferably much longer than the desired burner so that a desired section may be cut oif as indicated by the dot-and-dash lines II in Fig. 2. For instance, a burner may be provided which is a few inches long or five or six feet long or much longer. It will therefore be understood that the slot I 0 is not cut to the length of anyparticular burner but is cut for the full length of the pipe or tube and then the desired length is cut off which will be the length of the burner. Preferably the end 2 is welded. to the casing I as well as to the sleeve at the opposite end, which sleeve is screwed on to the air mixer 3. Instead of making the ribbons as shown in Fig. 4 which is the preferred structure, they may be made somewhat different as indicated in Fig. 6. Referring to this figure it will be seen that the ribbons I8 are similar to ribbons 9 but with the loops spread apart somewhat and with an auxiliary ribbon I8 arranged therebetween. This provides for a number of comparatively small openings at the center part of the burner and comparatively large openings along each outer edge.

In Figs. 7 to 9 will be seen a modified construction to that illlustrated in Fig. 4 wherein there are provided pressed-out portions 22. These pressed-out portions are indentations of various ribbons 9' so that one pressed-out portion may be nested within the other and thereby interlocked. The pressed-out portion 22 nearest the edge 23 of the opening III underlaps the casing I so as to prevent the ribbon from rising. The ribbon 9" adjacent the edge 24 oi opening I0 is ing of the casing and thereby maintaining the opening it fixed.

In Fig. 10 a construction similar to Fig. 9 is disclosed except that the pressed-out portions 22 are eliminated and apertures 26 provided through which pins 21 extend. Preferably the pins 21 are used every three or four inches along the entire length of the ribbon and also preferably the apertures 26 are elongated, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to take care of longitudinal expansion. The respective pins 21 are very small and are each provided with a turned-down end 28 to hold the pin so that there will be a slight projection on each side of the'group of ribbons whereby the ribbons cannot rise by reason of these pins and cannot move inwardly by reason of the large clamping pin I2. The respective pins 21 may extend-outwardly only a few thousandths of an inch.

Fig. 12 discloses a construction similar to Fig. '7 but with a slight modification including the various ribbons 29 which are similar to the ribbons I8 of the construction shown in Fig. 6. This arrangement provides the desired openings 30 centrally of the burner and larger openings 3| and 32 on each side edge of the burner. The

various ribbons in this form of the invention are provided with pressed-out portions 22 similar to that shown in Figs. 7 and 9.

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but showing a ribbon 33 which has rectangular portions 34. These portions are provided with interlocking protuberances 22' which function similarly to the protuberances 22. The ribbon 33' is provided with extra protuberances 22" at spaced intervals, said extra protuberances fitting interiorly of the casing I while the protuberances 22 on the ribbon 33 at the opposite side of opening III interlock in a similar manner with the casing I.

Fig. 14 discloses a construction similar to Fig. 4 but the casing I' is annular and, consequently. the various ribbons 35, 36, 31 and 38 are made with successively smaller loops from the outside to the inside of the opening III. -While four ribbons have been shown, it will be evident that a larger or less number might be used without departingfrom the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A ribbon burner including a tubular casing adapted to receive combustible gas, said casing having a longitudinally extending opening, a pin extending across said opening but spaced therefrom acting to prevent said opening from spreading and a plurality of nested serpentine-shaped ribbons arranged in said opening and filling the opening, said ribbons being bent to present openings extending at an angle to said pin.

2. A ribbon burner including a plurality of ribbons, each ribbon being formed of sheet material having identically formed offsets, certain of the offsets having projectio the projections from one ribbon being adapted to interlock with a prometal bent to provide oflsets in opposite directions, the respective oflsets being alternately arranged and extending from one side edge to the other or the strip and at an angle to the length 5 of the strip, certain of said oflsets being provided with projections positioned to interlock with the projections of adjacent ribbons.

4. A ribbon burner including a casing having a longitudinally positioned slot, a group of nested serpentine-shaped ribbons arranged in said slot,

there being sufflcient ribbons to fill the slot while the ribbons are nested and a plurality of retaining pins extending through the casing. ior preventing spreading of said opening, said ribbons hav- 1 ing one edge resting against said pins'and the other edge positioned substantially flush with the- -outer end of said opening, each of said ribbons having passageways from one side to the other extending at an angle to said pins.

5. A ribbon burner including a casing havin a longitudinal substantially rectangular slot and a plurality of ribbonsarranged in and filling said slot, each oi. said ribbons presenting a zigzag structure with the passageways thus formed extending at an angle to the length of the ribbon, said ribbons being arranged so that the respective offsets of one ribbon willpartly fit into an ofiset in the next ribbon, thus presenting apertures of the same size except at the edges of the slot.

6. A ribbon burner including a tubular casing adapted to receive combustible gas, said casing having an elongated opening, and a plurality 0! ribbons arranged in saidopening, said ribbons illiing the opening, each of said ribbons being bent to present a plurality of alternate beads and grooves extending from one edge tothe ther, said ribbons being arrangedso that the beads of one ribbon will mesh with and partly fill the grooves of the other ribbon, and means ior holding said opening against spreading.

7. A ribbon burner including a tubular casing having an elongated opening therein, a'plurality of nested serpentine-shaped ribbons arranged in said opening having grooves extending from one edge to the other, said ribbons having spaced, aligned elongated apertures, and a pin extending through said apertures and said casing tor-preventing independent spreading of said casing and 60 transverse movement 0! the respective ribbons.

8.-A ribbon burner including a tubular body formed from an unfinished tube having adjacent edges spaced apart to present a longitudinal positioned slot, a plurality oi corrugated ribbons arranged in'said slot, said ribbons being positioned so that the corrugated portion will partly mesh. and meansior connecting said ribbons together and to said body.

9. A ribbon burner including a casing having a slot extending longitudinally thereof, said slot having straight walls, a plurality of ribbons arranged in said casing, each of said ribbons being made generally serpentine in shape with the loops of one ribbon fitting into the loops oi. the next-ribbon to a certain extent, the loops oi the outside ribbons contacting said straight walls and forming with said walls openings larger than the openings between the respective ribbons, and

retaining pins extending through said casing for holding the casing against spreading.

10. A ribbon burner including a casing having a slot, a plurality of ribbons therein formed with deep loops with the loops of one ribbon extending partly into the loops of the other ribbon to present a partly nested structure, and means for locking said ribbons in said slots.

11. A ribbon burner including a casing provided with a slot, a plurality of ribbons mounted in said slot, each or said ribbons formed with oi!- set portions presenting openings extending transversely o! the ribbons when a group are arranged together, each of said ribbons having pressedout portions adapted to interlock so as to hold a group of ribbons in assembled condition when the oiiset portions are nested.

12. A ribbon burner including a casing provided with a slot, a plurality 0! ribbons mounted in said slot, each of saidribbons being formed substantially serpentine andpresenting passageways extending transversely of the ribbon, said ribbons being nested and provided with aligned elongated apertures, and a pin extending through said apertures when the ribbons are arranged in said slot for preventing theribbons irom moving radially outwardly through said slot.

13. A ribbon burner including a casing having a slot and a plurality of ribbons mounted in said slot, each of said ribbons having pressed-out portions, the pressed out portion oi one ribbon fitting into the pressed out portion of the next adjacent ribbon for holding the ribbons in assembled rela-' tion.

WILLIAM B. ENSIGN. 

